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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22763350">The Long and Extraordinary Life of Claire Ursine</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Duchess_Aquarius/pseuds/Duchess_Aquarius'>Duchess_Aquarius</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Sims (Video Games), The Sims 3 - Fandom</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Multi, Original Story - Freeform</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-02-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-04-28 12:08:13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>12,569</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22763350</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Duchess_Aquarius/pseuds/Duchess_Aquarius</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Claire Ursine never thought of her life as anything special for the most part. However, it was extraordinary and, when she looked back on it, filled with the most amazing adventures. From her humble start in Twinbrook, a murder mystery in Sunset Valley, a rampaging monster in Riverview, betrayal by her own family, and finding herself mixed up in the lives and loves of superhuman creatures, Claire truly has lived it all.</p>
<p>While a teenager, she meets Bonehilda, who tells her of a challenge that only the most gifted Sims can pass: The Uber Sim. Claire raises to the challenge to master all skills and top all careers. Along the way, she falls in love with some of the most fascinating men.</p>
<p>Prologue: 01<br/>Arc One: Sunset Valley 02-??</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Prologue</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Prologue</p>
<p>I never thought I’d put my story to paper. In truth, I didn’t think I had an extraordinary start, and by the time my life was interesting, it was still just, to me, my life. Now that I have time to think things over, I can see how strange and exciting my life could seem to others. It feels very ego-centric to say such things, but it’s true.</p>
<p>I was born Claire Ursine in the small town of Twinbrook, Simisouri. Once upon a time, Twinbrook was a vast mining community. We were the source for iron, palladium, and woohooium in all of SimNation and enjoyed prosperity. But, alas, tragedy struck in my great-great-grandparents’ time. A huge earthquake rolled through Twinbrook and buried the mines. Many lives were lost and it was decided that it would be too expensive to redig the mines. Twinbrook, clutching at any way to stay prosperous, decided to start a new venture. Factories were built and Twinbrook went from a mining town to the Capital of Canning and Rubber. By the time I was born, those factories were on their last legs as other towns in SimNation produced our goods. Twinbrook, as a whole, was dying.</p>
<p>I grew up on the edge of the swamp, far from the fading town, on Hershel’s Pond Road. The population of Twinbrook was dwindling, but there was a sampling of every walk of life. On the opposite side of town, where the mansions were built, was the ritzy area where the likes of the Rackets and Bakers lived. Between my home and theirs was the town and where everyone else who fell in the same Middle-Class bracket lived.</p>
<p>My home started off as a one-bedroom shack. My bedroom had been added when I was little and the house was very cramped. We were a family of five smooshed together in a home originally built for maybe two people. My mother’s brother, my Uncle Hubert, slept on a lumpy couch in the small living room.</p>
<p>Life in the swamp could be dangerous. We were too far out for any help to get to us in time if things went wrong. Besides the creatures that lived in the swamp, there were dangers in our own home. The kitchen always had an overwhelming smell of smoke from the time mother set the kitchen on fire trying to make soup. There was a huge scorch mark on the deck between my room and the main house where Uncle Hubert accidently blew up his moonshine maker. I can’t count how many times I looked out my bedroom window and played, “Is that a log or an alligator” with what I saw floating in the swamp.</p>
<p>My father was Herc Ursine. In many ways, he was my hero. He started working for the Emma Riddle Fish Cannery when he was a child, catching fish to add to the processor to feed the workers. He worked his way up until he was a supervisor. I remember watching him leave for work in his smart suit and feeling so proud that Herc Ursine was my daddy.</p>
<p>Though we made good money, we lived below our means. My father wanted to save up so my twin brother and I could go to college. And he was very adamant that we would attend college.</p>
<p>“No Urine, or Hicks, has ever received a formal education,” he’d tell us. “You two will be the first. I don’t care if you’re ninety years old before you go, my children will have a degree and have a better life than the one I’ve lived!”</p>
<p>In order for him to save up, we lived off freshly caught fish and whatever we could grow in our garden. I spent most of my childhood by the ponds or having my hands buried in the dirt in the garden. Holidays were a bleak affair with only what we needed as gifts and none of the frills that some other families could afford. One time, my mother bought me a jumpsuit on sale, an ugly pink thing, and bought it in every size. I got one size each Christmas for several years.</p>
<p>For my mother, Betty Jean Hicks Ursine, this was unforgivable. When she was young, she dreamed of running away to Bridgeport or Sunlit Tides and becoming a star. The fact that she got pregnant with my twin brother and I early was always a thorn in her side. She hated Twinbrook, calling it a dirty town with no potential. She collected magazines and had pictures of the luxurious lifestyles plastered all over her bedroom wall. Sometimes, when father wasn’t looking, she’d sneak out some of the college fund money and buy herself something nice that father wouldn’t notice. Always for herself, though. She’d go get her hair done or buy a new dress, spend a day watching movies at the theater and eating at the nicest restaurant in town. No one else ever benefited from her theft.</p>
<p>My twin brother, Dagbert, made me stand out. Twins were not ordinary in Twinbrook, and Dagbert stood out on his own. He had a wild imagination and let his fantasies run rampant. He sometimes had issues telling the difference between his dreams and reality. There was one time he convinced himself that I must have cheated on a test because I scored higher than him. He made such a fuss that I had to retake the test in front of the teacher. I scored higher my second time around.</p>
<p>I was a rather normal child. I learned how to fish and garden, went to school on weekdays and played on the weekends. Looking back, I don’t remember anything that would make me stand out. I knew, even at a young age, that I would not be the most beautiful person, but if I were honest, no one in Twinbrook would win a beauty contest. I wasn’t too smart, but I wasn’t stupid either. I truly believe that if I had never left Twinbrook, I’d have been ordinary my whole life and the extraordinary circumstances I encountered would never have happened.</p>
<p>For most of my young life, I thought things were perfect. Had my life continued down this path, I know I could have been happy. I would probably have married Tay Bayless, my best friend who lived down the road, and would have had a few kids, worked a dead-end job at the diner, and never wished for more. As a child, that was my dream. I had picked out where in the swamp I wanted to live and Tay and I sometimes went by there and talked about our future. In my imagination, Tay would work in a factory like my father, raising to be a supervisor and supporting his family.</p>
<p>That dream ended the night of the explosion. No one knows what happened, but something blew up in the Fish Cannery. Some say it was the canning machine, others say it was a furnace, and others still said it was a bomb. My father was injured, along with several other men and women working that night. They shouldn’t have been there, but Mr. Pines, the current owner, wanted a certain quota to be met and no one was going home until it was. The townsfolk of Twinbrook were very upset by this, especially since some men and women lost their lives in that explosion.  I remember going to the mass funeral while my father recovered at home. There were whisperings of things long forgotten coming up from the caved-in mines and seeking revenge.</p>
<p>It was just whisperings, and I didn’t think anything about them at that time. Looking back, that was the very start of my journey. My childhood was over. After the funerals and a rather quick settlement from the Fish Cannery, my family moved out of Twinbrook.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter One</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Claire's family moved from Twinbrook to Sunset Valley in hopes of a great new life. Things aren't what they seem and Claire soon discovers the dark underbelly of the Supernatural that lurks in the shadows.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Part One: Sunset Valley</p>
<p>Chapter One</p>
<p>Sunset Valley was an ideal town where even the poorest person was still somewhere in the Upper Middle-Class bracket. Beautiful, rolling green hills nestled in the shadows of mountains in the north and east with pristine white-sand beaches to the west and south. It was an ideal place to raise a child. The streets were clean, the people friendly, and crime was non-existent.</p>
<p>Well, that was what the brochure tried to sell. My mother, Betty Jean Ursine, compromised on Sunset Valley when she and father agreed to move out of Twinbook. The settlement from the explosion at the Fish Cannery left us fairly wealthy in the short-term. Father wanted to move someplace that was like Twinbrook, Riverview or Hidden Springs, while Mother wanted to live someplace glamorous like Bridgeport or Sunlit Tides. Mother only gave in to Father’s wishes when she realized that Sunset Valley was only two hours away from Bridgeport.</p>
<p>We learned quickly that Sunset Valley was not the promised utopia. My father, Herc Ursine, had been too injured by the explosion and could not work. He spent his days stuck in bed. For a man who used to work every day to provide for his family, this was a blow to his pride and he sunk deep in depression. He rarely left his bed, even on his good days.</p>
<p>My mother tried to make ends meet. The home she purchased, far too big and grand for our modest family, was paid off with a huge chunk of the settlement money. She burned through the rest of the money and the college fund in no time trying to fit in with the sleek and beautiful people of Sunset Valley. She worked outside the house doing whatever she could to earn money; cleaning peoples’ homes, laundry services and mending clothes, working low pay jobs in various businesses, and selling trinkets she found from rummaging in the trash cans. For that, I admired her, but she quickly let her disappointment in living in Sunset Valley to overshadow everything. Any little snub, real or imagined, she took personally and complained loudly about how she wanted to escape this life. She resented Father more and more each day.</p>
<p>Had my mother not fixated on living in Bridgeport or Sunlit Tides, she would have realized she never would have fit in there either. While the people of Sunset Valley were in no way the glamorous stars of Bridgeport or Sunlit Tides, they were leagues above us Twinbrook folk. The Ursine family fit in with the swamp dwellers of Twinbrook, short and stocky with limp red hair and ratty clothes. The patched shirts and torn pants that made me fit in with my peers as a child set me apart from those I met in school in Sunset Valley. Even changing shampoos and what I wore did not help me fit in. My mother tried harder to be one of the glamorous people, but she never did. </p>
<p>“You can dress up a pig, but it’s still a pig.” These words were thrown at me all throughout school, and I knew they had been thrown at my mother, as well.</p>
<p>Sunset Valley, to me, was where it all began. In my childhood, I believed in monsters and ghosts as a child might. Humanoid creatures dripping with moss prowled the swamps at night and I, in my young innocence, used to peek out from my bedroom window to watch for them. Being a teenager in suburban Sunset Valley, I put that behind me. There were no creatures walking the streets and my new focus was helping my family. I worked several part-time jobs to support my family; bagger in the grocery store, a clerk at the bookshop, front desk scheduler at the spa, and caretaker’s assistant in the cemetery.</p>
<p>I explored Sunset Valley when I had time. What I found interesting was an old mine shaft on the north border of the town. As someone who came from an old mining town, I thought this strange. Sunset Valley didn’t appear in any known record of mining towns. Why was this here? The vein still had some life in it, as I could find chunks of iron scattered around most times I went up. Strangely so, almost as if someone was tossing these rocks out to be found.</p>
<p>Everything started the night of a full moon. After leaving my job in the cemetery, I went to check out the mine shaft. I planned to pick up some more iron and sell it. It wasn’t much, but it helped with getting money for minor purchases. The front of the mine was boarded up, but I knew that wouldn’t stop the curious children. So, when I heard something moving around inside, I wasn’t scared. It wasn’t until I heard growling that I bothered to look.</p>
<p>Staring at me from the darkness was a pair of yellow glowing eyes. I couldn’t see the creature, but I had a feeling it was big.</p>
<p>“What’s a morsel like you doing around here,” came a gravelly voice.</p>
<p>“I…Just looking for iron.” I felt my knees tremble. “What are you?”</p>
<p>My mind went to all the monsters that haunted my dreams as a child. Was it a Bog Monster, a humanoid creature with long claws that lumbered in the musky swamps of home in search of fresh meat? Was it a Loup Garou, a werewolf that stalked the swamps and bayous as it hunted misbehaving people? Or, was it a Gruagach, a hairy ape-creature that may or may not be friendly?</p>
<p>The creature laughed. “What I am is something morsels like you should fear. I am the dreaded night, the curse of the full moon!” It moved closer and I could see the outline of the creature.</p>
<p>“Loup Garou,” I gasped and took a step back. It was huge and hulking, covered in coarse fur. Yellow eyes watched me with mirth and large, wolf-like ears twitched in my direction. Moonlight glinted off fangs and claws. A nightmare comes to life.</p>
<p>It laughed and slid back into the shadows. “We’ve been called that before. Others just call us werewolves. Yes, I am one of the Children of the Night.” It studied me. “What is your name?”</p>
<p>“Claire Ursine.”</p>
<p>It laughed again. “You are not used to the beings that live on the edge of humanity, are you? That surprises me, considering you moved here from Twinbrook. Things still stalk those swamps, and to be as innocent as you appear, it makes me wonder if they are better at hiding than I gave them credit for. Here is a fair warning; do not give your name away so easily. You are lucky I am not a creature that can use your name against you.” It grunted. “And, you are lucky that is your name. I had heard you came to Sunset Valley. They’ve been waiting for you.”</p>
<p>“They? Who’s they?”</p>
<p>“The Clan Leaders. All of them have waited for you; the werewolves, the vampires, the fey, the plants, the ghosts, the skeletons, and the rest. Your name has been whispered for years. No, you wouldn’t know anything about it. You’re far too young to be <i>that</i> Claire Ursine. I, myself, have met the one they speak of, and she looks much like you but older, and that was back when I was a young boy. Very interesting, indeed.”</p>
<p>“I don’t understand…”</p>
<p>“You will. I’m going to keep my eye on you, Claire Ursine. Powers far older than I are at play. The Wolfmoon Clan has been most interested in you, Claire.”</p>
<p>“Wolfmoon? More Loup Garous?”</p>
<p>“No. Despite their name, they are one of the leaders of the vampires. Bloodsuckers and leeches!” The creature made a hacking noise. Had it been more human, I would have guessed he was trying to spit. “Do not let them sink their fangs into you, Claire Ursine. You would fit in with my clan. I can see it now; you would be a mate to one of my children and sing under the full moon. Soon, Claire Ursine. I will change the fates foreseen by those dusty old ones. Yes, Claire Ursine. The power you possess will be mine.”</p>
<p>With that, the creature moved further back and vanished in the shadows of the mine. A bit shaken, I ran home. I did not return to the mine and did not run into that creature under the cover of darkness again. I knew it was watching me. I could feel its eyes on me every day.</p>
<p>Life moved on and two changes happened almost on top of each other. My mother gave birth to my baby brother, Boggs. With my father injured, Mother needed more help around the house. She never asked for extra help but expected it anyway. Between school and working, I took care of my baby brother. Boggs was precious to me, and I do mourn what became of him.</p>
<p>No, my mother said she found the perfect help in our own home. She claimed to have found an old key to a strange little closet. When she opened the door, out came her “perfect maid.” </p>
<p>Bonehilda Von Bone was not human. A living skeleton, Bonehilda was one of those magical creatures the Loup Garou spoke about. While most of my family seemed afraid of her, I felt at home around Bonehilda. She talked to me about her home in Moonlight Falls and her brother who was still living there; Casper Von Bone.</p>
<p>“You’d like Casper,” Bonehilda told me. “He’s a very interesting and learned man. He’s the leader of our clan and very important.”</p>
<p>“I’m sure he is,” I said. “I knew about Clan Leaders. The Loup Garou mentioned them.”</p>
<p>“Loup Garou?” Bonehilda paused in washing the dishes, looking over at me while I did my homework at the kitchen table.</p>
<p>“Um, werewolf? I met one by the mines a few months ago.”</p>
<p>Bonehilda snorted, the sound strange coming from a creature with no lips or nose. “A werewolf? Those low-born creatures are always trying to stick their snouts into our business. What else did he tell you?”</p>
<p>I shrugged. “Something about waiting for me and possessing my power?”</p>
<p>This made her pause and she seemed to think about something. “Claire Ursine,” she muttered. “I wasn’t aware they knew about that.”</p>
<p>“What?”</p>
<p>“Oh, nothing.” She went back to cleaning up the kitchen. “But, as I said before, I think you’d benefit from talking to my brother. I can give you his number.”</p>
<p>She did give me his number, though I wasn’t really sure why she thought we’d be friends. When I called him, I felt nervous but he was delighted to speak to me. I was only fifteen and Casper Von Bone was an immortal creature. To his credit, he didn’t make me feel stupid and acted like he was interested in my thoughts. Almost no topic was off limits. The only one was the Loup Garou’s words about my name being an interest among the Clan Leaders.</p>
<p>As with many teenagers, my mind turned to dating. I started dating one of my classmates, Jared Frio. For young me, he was everything I ever wanted. Two years older than me, he was a rebel who wore leather jackets, drove a motorcycle, had piercings, and was known to drink at wild parties. Out of nowhere, he came up to me and asked me out, causing my heart to flutter. Until that moment, other than taking classes with Jared’s brother, Conner, I had no contact with the Frio family. Everything about Jared drew me in on that first date, including his strange golden-brown eyes. </p>
<p>“You tame the animal in me, Claire,” he told me.</p>
<p>There were two people who were angered about my choice in boyfriends. The first was Casper, who did not like Jared at all. He called Jared a mangy animal, but quickly apologized when I threatened to never talk to him again. After that, Casper did not bring up Jared.</p>
<p>The other person was a classmate of mine, Mortimer Goth. Tall, elegant, and rich, Mortimer Goth was the school heartthrob on the opposite end of the spectrum from Jared. Refined with silky black hair and dreamy dark eyes, he could have his pick of any girl in school, and some of the guys, but for some reason, he put himself in my world. With the likes of beautiful Bella Bachelor and Kaylynn Langerak hanging around him, I was surprised when Mortimer approached me after class one day, standing between me and my path to Jared’s motorcycle. </p>
<p>“You don’t want to date that animal, Claire,” he said. “His kind aren’t civilized.”</p>
<p>I felt myself bristle. “What are you talking about?”</p>
<p>“Look, Claire, there are things going on that you have no idea about. I have connections,” Mortimer said. “Jared Frio and his brother – his whole family, really – are nothing but animals. You deserve better.”</p>
<p>I laughed and tried to push past him. He stopped me and I could see that we were now drawing the attention of Jared on his bike. “Mort, let me pass. You don’t know me at all.”</p>
<p>“Listen, there are things well beyond your understanding. There are creatures out there that will eat you alive, forces at work that you’ll never comprehend. I know the Von Bone family is involved in your life, Claire. All of us know that. You’re a nice person, Claire, and I don’t want any of them to hurt you. Jared Frio is only interested in you because of the Von Bones.”</p>
<p>“And what does Bonehilda or Casper have to do with this?”</p>
<p>Mort leaned closer to me, and I saw Jared jump off his bike and rush toward us. “There is a rumor attached to your name, Claire. Something about popping up in the past in Roaring Heights. Has your family ever been there, at any point in history?”</p>
<p>“No. This is the first time any of the Ursines have ever left Twinbrook. We were born there.”</p>
<p>Mortimer nodded. “According to the story, someone with your name declared herself to be an Uber Sim and Mother of the Line, a special human who can produce children with all the Supernaturals of this world. It’s said that the Von Bone and Wolfmoon families helped this woman named Claire Ursine, and her name has been whispered down the decades. The Frio family thinks you are connected to her, and I suspect the Von Bones think that as well. Be careful, Claire.”</p>
<p>Jared reached us and pulled Mortimer away from me. The two glared at each other.</p>
<p>“Animal,” Mort muttered and walked off.</p>
<p>“Leech,” Jared sneered. He turned to me. “You okay, Claire?”</p>
<p>“Yeah. Let’s go.”</p>
<p>It would be years later before I realized the importance of their words. Mortimer tried to warn me, but I was already in the thick of it.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter Two</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Prom is approaching and Claire has some new issues in her life. Beyond wanting to become an Uber Sim, she now learns that there are others who are excited about her choices. It's never easy with Claire Ursine.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Chapter Two</p>
<p>For a brief time, life settled in a pattern. School, work, home taking care of Boggs, talking to Bonehilda and Casper, and dating Jared. It wasn’t really ideal, but to a teenager, it was the best I could hope for. Eventually, I told Bonehilda about Mortimer. She laughed when I mentioned the whole Mother of the Line thing.</p>
<p>“That is a myth, Claire. The Mother of the Line is a title given to any human who can mate with a Supernatural. Well, men are called Father of the Line. See, Supernaturals have a hard time mating with their own kind, but being with a human is only marginally better. The pure-blooded Supernaturals are few. Almost all have human blood somewhere down the line.” Bonehilda ruffled my red hair. “Now, the real challenge is that Uber Sim. That is someone who achieves it all: works every job, maxes every skill, and all that. It’s a path only the most special Sims can achieve.”</p>
<p>With that, the idea was burned in my head. I knew this was my destiny. I discussed it with Casper the next time we spoke on the phone, and he seemed excited by the idea.</p>
<p>“But, I’m mortal. How can I work all the jobs and max all the skills? That would take several lifetimes.”</p>
<p>Casper gave a dry chuckle. “Well, I will let you in on a little secret; there is a way. There are two potions you can make if you work hard enough with the chemistry set. One will revert you back to the lifestate of a young adult while the other will freeze your age. I suggest you max out the chemistry skill first to make those potions and have them on hand.”</p>
<p>“What’s the end goal? I mean, if I go through all of this, what’s in it for me?”</p>
<p>“Oh, you humans and your desire for rewards. You’ll already be immortal by the end of it, so what more do you want?”</p>
<p>I had to think about it. “I don’t know.”</p>
<p>“Think on it, Claire. At the end, when you become an Uber Sim, you will be given one wish. You have several lifetimes to figure out what you want.”</p>
<p>By the time senior prom came around, I had already started my path. I knew how to fish and garden from my childhood, so I started to perfect those and learn how to paint and write. My new ideals meant that my dating Jared wasn’t as frequent as they had once been, and I knew we were drifting apart. For a teenager my age, having dated the same guy since I was sixteen to eighteen was a lifetime all in its own.</p>
<p>Dagbert, my twin, noticed my new obsession and demanded to know what I was doing. When I told him, he scoffed at me.</p>
<p>“What is it with you Ursine women and your impossible dreams? Mom has been going on day trips to Bridgeport and you think you can master everything. Why can’t you be happy with what you are and where you are?”</p>
<p>“It’s more than changing who I am,” I told him. “I want to better myself, for myself. Even if I don’t make it, even if I fail, I’ll be better off than if I never tried. Besides, I want to know what kind of wish I’ll make at the end.”</p>
<p>“Wish?”</p>
<p>“Yeah. If I can become this Uber Sim, I get a wish. As Casper pointed out, I’ll already be immortal, so I don’t know what else one would want.”</p>
<p>“Yeah, well, that doesn’t explain mom.”</p>
<p>It was my turn to scoff. “Mother has always complained about wanting to move to Bridgeport. It doesn’t surprise me she’s taking trips there now that Father is getting worse. Really, did you think I didn’t notice the spare money I tried saving missing and her having a new dress? Or new nails? Or coming home stinking of booze and cigarettes? We both knew Mother wouldn’t wait for Father to die before she started her new life. I’ll be very surprised if she waits any longer to fob Boggs on us and leave.”</p>
<p>Dagbert huffed. “She doesn’t love dad. She lets that skeleton do all the work. He’s slipping, you know. He might not make it to our graduation. If he does, you’re the one taking care of him. I don’t care how, but I’m getting out of here once I graduate.”</p>
<p>I shrugged. “Not a problem. I love Father and Boggs. I don’t mind taking care of them.” I had already accepted the fate of being the caretaker. Bonehilda took care of the basics in the house, but I was the one who brought Father’s meals up and fed him, who helped move him to a chair so the bed could be stripped down and washed, and who gave him baths almost every day. I was sure he was so out of it that he didn’t know that Mother was leaving him.</p>
<p>Then the prom came. To my delight and surprise, Jared asked me out. We had been barely seeing each other, and I heard rumors he had been seen out and about with Malika Williams, a mohawked girl who seemed to suite Jared’s rebel lifestyle. Bonehilda insisted on going with me to find a dress. Despite the stares from the people of Sunset Valley, we found a beautiful silver dress. Bonehilda also put my hair up in a bun and took a picture to send to her brother. </p>
<p>“You look like a dream,” Casper said after he received the picture. “Ah, to be young again and going to a dance.”</p>
<p>“I thought you were immortal.”</p>
<p>“I am, but I wouldn’t fit in at your school dance. Maybe, if you ever visit, I can take you out dancing.” This was not the first time he hinted at me visiting.</p>
<p>Prom was not the dream I thought it would be. Jared did not spring for the limo as he promised and came to pick me up on his motorcycle. I called out my good-byes to my mother, who glared at me from the doorway with a crying Boggs clutching her legs. </p>
<p>“Wanna go wif Care! Wanna go wif Care!” Boggs tried to run out to follow me, but Dagbert grabbed him. My twin had decided to not go to prom, and I think it was because he was turned down when he asked Irene Funke out.</p>
<p>“I’ll dance with you when I get back, Boggs,” I promised. As Jared drove off, I could see our neighbor, Molly French, yelling at Mother about the noise.</p>
<p>Jared did not take me to dinner but drove straight to the school. The gym was decorated with silver stars and dark blue streamers for the theme of A Night Under the Stars. It was tacky and cheap, but it was the best Sunset Valley High could do. A DJ was set up in one corner and many of the students crowded the gym and the lunchroom.</p>
<p>Almost at once, Jared left me to go talk to his friends. It did not escape my notice that Malika was waiting for him, nor did I fail to see Bella Bachelor approach him and practically plaster herself against his body. They certainly made a picture; Jared in his leather jacket and spiked dog collar with punky Malika on one arm and elegant Bella on the other.</p>
<p>“Not how I thought this night would go.” I turned to see Mortimer standing next to me. He looked so handsome in his suit, but so sad as he watched Bella hangover Jared. His black hair was brushed back, leaving the strong lines of his face free. When he looked at me, I could see a glow deep in his eyes.</p>
<p>“Same.” I sighed, thinking about what little I knew about the whole situation with Casper and the Loup Garou’s words a few years ago. Glancing back at Mortimer, I said, “After all your’s and Jared’s interest in my name and your Clan Leaders, I am actually surprised that this is the direction tonight has gone.”</p>
<p>He flinched. “I almost forgot I told you about the Clans. Or has this been told to you by the skeletons?”</p>
<p>“Both. I still don’t understand a lot of it, nor do I really get where you and Jared fit in, but I have a few ideas. I’m guessing you’re not human. And given how people didn’t react much to seeing Bonehilda come shopping with me, Sunset Valley knows more about Supernaturals than they let on.”</p>
<p>He chuckled. “I think this conversation is best finished on the dance floor. Claire Ursine, will you honor me with a dance?” He held out his hand. I took it and he brought me out to the dance floor where the pounding music hid our words. To be heard, he had to speak right next to my ear, a move that looked far more intimate than what was intended.</p>
<p>“You are right that Sunset Valley is a hotbed of Supernaturals, but only certain Clans. Jared is from one, I’m from another.”</p>
<p>“And your Clan Leaders want you to date me because of my name? At least, that was your original interest.”</p>
<p>“Right again. But I do like you, Claire. You’re rough around the edges, but that makes you fascinating. Don’t let yourself get pulled into this. The skeletons are using you.”</p>
<p>“To what end?”</p>
<p>“If you are the Claire Ursine of legend, they have a lot to gain. As a Mother of the Line, you can help create more of any Supernatural, and that is worth its weight in gold. All the Clans are searching for new starters as the DNA of the Supernaturals makes it hard to breed after a few pure breeds are born. No one knows why. I mean, in reality, none of us are purebred, but the longer down the line we go, the worse we become. A true Mother of the Line, one who has gained immortality through a challenge like the Uber Sim, can create line after line for any Supernatural type.”</p>
<p>“What about Bella? You came here with her.”</p>
<p>“She has the DNA needed to be a Mother of the Line. You may be from a legend, Claire, but we can’t just put all our hopes in one basket.” He smiled sadly. “Sorry.”</p>
<p>We danced for a bit longer before Mort said, “Looks like we’ve attracted some attention.” I glanced over to Jared and saw him talking to his father and a finely dressed woman. Just as I noticed them, I felt Mort kiss my neck, sending shivers through my body.</p>
<p>“They’re coming over,” he said softly. Mort pulled me a little closer. “I am sorry for what will happen, Claire.”</p>
<p>Jared reached us first and pulled me away from Mortimer. He growled low in his throat, a sound that didn’t resemble a human at all.</p>
<p>“She’s my date, Corpse!” Jared pulled me against him. “Shove off!”</p>
<p>Mortimer smiled, but it was tinged with hate. “By all means, Flea Bag. Just remember who you came here with and stop ignoring her.”</p>
<p>Jared took my arm and yanked me to a different area of the dance floor. He was glaring at Mort over my shoulder for a bit before turning his attention to me. He reached up and pushed my head to the side, looking at the side of my neck where Mort had kissed me.</p>
<p>“What are you doing,” he demanded.</p>
<p>“I should be asking you that! You ignore me, Jared, and go straight to Malika and Bella, and now you have the audacity to act jealous. Really? Mortimer was being friendly.”</p>
<p>“Friendly my ass. Hmph, at least he didn’t leave a mark.” He dropped his hand and glanced around as he danced with me. “Listen, Claire, I’m going to be honest with you. If you want the whole commitment thing, that’s not me. I tried for you, I really did, but I can’t keep this up. If you want the whole commitment, never leave your side, be faithful thing, go date my brother. Connor thinks you’re okay, so it won’t be a bad match.”</p>
<p>I glanced over at where Connor was talking to their father. He was so different from Jared, a quiet nerd in contrast to the loud rebel. When Connor noticed that I was looking, he offered a shy smile. Just what was going on?</p>
<p>Turning back to Jared, I said, “So, it doesn’t matter who gets to me, as long as it’s your clan? I don’t appreciate being handed around like a tray of food.”</p>
<p>“You’re not. I’m giving you an option, Claire. You don’t know what is at stake here.”</p>
<p>“I do. The betterment and advancement of your clan, your Supernatural bloodline. That’s why you were also hanging out with Bella.”</p>
<p>Jared scoffed. “Mortimer is a blabbermouth.”</p>
<p>The prom continued around us. Mortimer spent most of the night dancing with me or talking to the unknown elegant lady. Jared left my side after our one dance and made his way through the room, talking or dancing with every other girl. At one point, Connor took me for a spin. He was so shy that we didn’t talk.</p>
<p>When it came time to crown the Prom King and Queen, it was no surprise to me that the winners were Bella and Mortimer. As they danced, the elegant lady came up to me.</p>
<p>“So, you’re Claire Ursine. I’ve heard so much about you. I <i>know</i> so much about you. Every path you’ve ever walked, Claire, I’ve followed.” She smiled, flashing fangs, and held out her hand. “I’m Euphenia Wolfmoon. Oh, I know that look. You’ve figured it out, haven’t you?”</p>
<p>“I’m starting to. If I have this right, you’re a vampire. Which means, Mortimer is one, too.” I glanced out at the dance floor. “And what’s Jared?”</p>
<p>“You always were smart, Claire, and you know what Jared is. You’re one of my favorites. No matter the reality, you were always worth watching.”</p>
<p>“Reality?”</p>
<p>“Oh, don’t worry about it. That has nothing to do with this. As for your question, Jared is part of the Stoney Falls Clan, a group of werewolves that have settled this area. Jared and Connor are probably their last hope, the only ones with a line back to the first werewolf in this area. Their father, Paulo, has placed all his dreams on those two. Jared is a disappointment. Connor is the one Paulo wants to be the next pack leader, maybe Clan Leader someday. Of course, that means he must marry a Mother of the Line. You know what that means, don’t you?”</p>
<p>“Trust me, it’s all they talk about.”</p>
<p>“Even the skeletons?”</p>
<p>“Yeah.”</p>
<p>Euphenia laughed. “Well, let me be open with you, Claire. You are special. I know you carry the DNA to be a Mother of the Line. I also know that you carry the gumption to be an Uber Sim. Immortality will be yours; I can see it. The thing I can’t see is where you will end up? I, personally, want you to join with one of my vampires. Now, I’m not a Clan Leader for Mortimer, just a passing friend.”</p>
<p>I watched her as she left. So, this was the famous Wolfmoon. I could see why Casper, the Loup Garou, and Mortimer said her name with reverence. The power that rolled off her was breath-taking. Euphenia was not the most beautiful woman when I really got a good look at her; her nose was too bulbous, her haircut not as flattering, and her eyes too small. But that power! That made up for any physical flaws.</p>
<p>When the prom ended, Mort offered to drive me home. Jared had already left with Bella and I accepted with no other way home. Instead of driving me home, though, he took me to Crystal Springs, a pond on the East side of town and a popular make-out spot. My heart started to pound as he pulled up and parked, wondering what this could lead to.</p>
<p>Mortimer kept the lights on and turned on the radio. It was some silly old-time romance station. He smiled and turned to me. “I want to dance some more, Claire.”</p>
<p>He got out of the car and waited for me in the light. I joined him, and we danced to that brassy music. </p>
<p>“I don’t think we’ll get to see much of each other after graduation,” he said softly, his lips near my neck as he held me close. “I’m being sent to be changed. These are my last few months as a mortal.”</p>
<p>“Can you tell me about it? Is it the same with the other Supernaturals?”</p>
<p>“In a way. Vampires, which I am, but I’m sure you figured that out, aren’t always born that way. The further down the line, the less the power shows up. I was born mortal, but I can be Changed. Jared and Connor are the same, despite being werewolves. If you had a child with either of us, that child will most likely be born already Changed.”</p>
<p>“It’s a bit early to talk about children.”</p>
<p>He chuckled. “You’re right. Sorry. It’s just, I want you to go into this knowing what the costs are. Such as, the more Supernaturals you, um, sleep with, the more you’ll be attracted to them. Not just the kind you sleep with, but all Supernaturals. For example, right now, if you met Casper Von Bone, would you be attracted to him?”</p>
<p>I thought that over. “No. He’s a skeleton.”</p>
<p>“If you become a Mother of the Line, you’ll start to find yourself attracted to things outside of the realm of mortals. Vampires, Werewolves, Fey, Merfolk, and Skeletons. All of them, in their most natural forms, will become attractive to you. It’s because the more of us you sleep with, it opens your DNA. It’s like a switch. And, if I had to guess, the Von Bones are banking on that. You might not be attracted to Casper Von Bone now, but he’s hoping you will be someday. All he has to do is wait.”</p>
<p>“That is a scary thought. I mean, I’m still considered a kid until I graduate. He can’t have feelings for me.”</p>
<p>“Maybe. Being immortal means you sometimes meet that special someone when they are young. It’s just how you react.” He paused, placing a kiss on my neck. “How does he talk to you now?”</p>
<p>I gasped low at the touch of his lips. “He, um, he talks to me like a friend.”</p>
<p>“I can bet that will change as soon as you’re an adult. After graduation, you’re going to find yourself very popular. It makes me wish I didn’t have to go.”</p>
<p>I was having a hard time concentrating on his words as he kissed along my neck between each word. My knees felt weak, and I would have fallen if he hadn’t been holding me up. Cliched but true.</p>
<p>He kissed his way from my neck, over my jaw, and hovered just above my lips. “Claire,” he whispered, “I lo- “</p>
<p>We were interrupted as strong hands pulled us apart. I fell on the rocky sand of the pond’s edge while Mort was shoved on the hood of his car. Standing over us were the Frio brothers. Jared had Mort by the neck while Connor stood over me.</p>
<p>“Check her,” snapped Jared. “He had his mouth all over her neck!”</p>
<p>Connor knelt by me and ran his fingers over my neck. “She’s clean,” he said.</p>
<p>I rolled my eyes. “Duh. What are the two of you doing here?”</p>
<p>“We were sent to make sure that you made it home okay,” said Connor. “Come on, Claire, I’ll drive you home.” He reached down and pulled me up.</p>
<p>“What about them,” I asked. Jared and Mort were glaring at each other, the sheer hostility rolled off them in waves.</p>
<p>“They’ll be fine,” said Connor. He led me back up the path were Jared’s bike was parked. Next to it was another bike. I never knew Connor had a motorcycle. He always seemed so nerdy.</p>
<p>Connor got me a helmet and went to put it on me and paused. “I need to take your hair down to put this on properly. How did Jared do this and not mess up your hair?”</p>
<p>“He didn’t give me a helmet.”</p>
<p>Connor sighed. “Figures. Just because we’re harder to kill doesn’t mean he should treat you like that.” He took my hair down from the bun and ran his fingers through to my hair. He helped me on the back of his bike. As we drove off, I turned back and saw that Jared and Mort were fighting.</p>
<p>“Don’t worry about them,” Connor said, and it took me a moment to realize the helmets had microphones in them. “The Clan Leaders are watching and will stop it before they can kill each other.”</p>
<p>He drove me home and wished me a good night. I went in my house and decided to change my clothes. I was surprised that Bonehilda didn’t meet me and ask how prom went. On my way to find my family, I peeked into my father’s room. He was asleep with Boggs curled up on his bed.</p>
<p>I found Dagbert in the back, looking at the stars on the back patio. At the foot of the patio was a large freshly filled-in plot of earth and he had dirt on his clothes. I asked him what he was doing.</p>
<p>“Well, I got to thinking, Claire. We’re twins, so we should be able to do the same things. You want to be this Uber Sim and Mother of the Line, well, I can do that too. I’m going to be an Uber Sim and a Father of the Line.”</p>
<p>“Yeah, okay, so what’s with the huge filled-in hole? Getting started by passing your graveyard career?”</p>
<p>He snorted. “No. Gardening. This is going to be my garden. And I’m working on my Logic skills. Two for now, and more later. I mean, you’ve worked on gardening, fishing, cooking, painting, and stuff like that. I won’t let you beat me.”</p>
<p>“Yeah, okay. Where’s Mother? Bonehilda?”</p>
<p>He looked up from his work. “Mom has gone to Bridgeport again. She took money from your room, just to warn you. And before she left, she dismissed Bonehilda. The skeleton went back in her closet.”</p>
<p>“Thanks.” I went inside, intending on taking the key from mother and father’s room to wake up Bonehilda. But the key wasn’t there. I checked the closet, and Bonehilda was gone.</p>
<p>For the rest of my time in that house, I never saw Bonehilda again. And mother never returned from Bridgeport, abandoning us.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>The characters of Euphenia and Levi Wolfmoon are my own creations. I think of them as the Watchers, sometimes as storytellers of my games. When I make more stories, you'll see them again.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter Three</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Claire starts her way toward her goals and finds a little romance. However, a storm is brewing and what peace she's found will be torn asunder very soon.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Chapter Three</p>
<p>Time marches on for everyone, and I was no exception. After graduation, Mortimer went off to visit his vampires and be Changed, Jared and Connor went on a prolonged ‘hunting’ trip, and I settled in the routine of taking care of my father. Though we never told him about Mother running away to Bridgeport, he knew. I heard him crying many nights about how she wasn’t coming back.</p>
<p>Boggs continued to grow. He had a strange fear of Dagbert and avoided him whenever he was home. Boggs always stuck by me. I called him my Swamp Bog, and he called me his Claire Bear. We were close, the only two really trying to keep our tiny family from falling apart. </p>
<p>On the night of my graduation, I received a letter from Euphenia Wolfmoon about becoming an Uber Sim. The rules were not as dire as I had first assumed. I had to finish, bare minimum, one career in every field or twenty careers total. Some fields had two careers for me to choose, such as in music I could become a Rock Star or Movie Composer, as a criminal I could be a Master Thief or Empress of Evil, and working in the police department, I could be a DNA Profiler or International Spy. I also had to master as many skills as I could. The reward was the wish at the end, but I decided to not think about that. Who knew what my desires would be in the far future?</p>
<p>I picked up a job in acquisitions at the Warehouse. The pay was good, and I knew I’d have to master this job anyway to be an Uber Sim. I worked my way through the ranks to be a Master Thief. </p>
<p>I was still learning when Jared and Connor returned. Almost at once, they sought me out and I found myself back in the spotlight as a hopeful Mother of the Line. The ‘hunting’ trip took a year and it changed the two Frio brothers. Jared was still a rebel and Connor was still a shy nerd, but there was something different about them. It was like, now that they were full-fledged werewolves, they were more. Jared didn’t hang out with anyone much, preferring to be a lone wolf, while Connor got flustered with all the work he had to do to prepare to be a pack leader.</p>
<p>“What’s the difference between pack leader and Clan Leader?” I asked one night. Connor had stopped by my place for dinner and I had just finished feeding my father. Boggs was upstairs playing, even though he should be doing his homework.</p>
<p>“The Clans are made up of many packs, ruled over by a single Clan Leader. There are maybe ten to fifteen packs called the Stoney Falls pack in the world. Each has a pack leader that works with the Clan Leader.”</p>
<p>“And you’re a pack leader now, but they want you to be a Clan Leader?”</p>
<p>Connor snatched some fruit from the tray between us. “Basically. So, how’s the whole Uber Sim thing coming?”</p>
<p>“Slowly. I picked the one career I want out of the way first. I mean, I’m probably going to spend the rest of my life finding a way to make up for being a thief.”</p>
<p>“Don’t worry about that. Those of us who understand these things won’t bat an eye. You have to work every field, Claire, and that means being a criminal at some point in time.”</p>
<p>While I got along great with Connor and Jared, the fact that I made up my mind to be a Mother of the Line always tainted everything I did. I was sure they only came around and stayed in contact with me to make sure one of them was the first I slept with, the first whose line I continued. </p>
<p>My father slipped further and further away and I began to wish I started off in the medical field instead. Dagbert had left after graduation as he said he would. He only visited during the holidays, if he visited at all.</p>
<p>“Claire?” During one of Father’s lucid moments, he struggled to sit up in bed. I rushed over to help him. “Claire?”</p>
<p>“Here, Father.”</p>
<p>“This isn’t home,” he said, looking around. “It’s too big.”</p>
<p>“This is our home in Sunset Valley. Do you remember?”</p>
<p>For a moment, he looked so confused. “There was a skeleton, wasn’t there?”</p>
<p>“Yeah, Bonehilda. She worked here as a maid.” I fluffed the pillow for him.</p>
<p>He sighed. “Claire, have I ever told you the history of our family, of who you are named after?”</p>
<p>“No.” Thinking to the fact everyone thought I had some connection to this mysterious Claire Ursine from Roaring Heights, I asked, “Was I named after a woman from Roaring Heights?”</p>
<p>“No. Not sure where you’d get that idea. No, it was ages and ages ago. I want to say my many times great-grandfather arrived in Twinbrook, back when it was a small mining town of just one mine, a main street, and maybe a few slapped together buildings. Like a bank, tavern, and an inn. He went there to make his fortune. His name was…was…um, I think it was Hank. Yeah, that was it. Hank Hatfield. He left his family to find a better life.”</p>
<p>“I was named after someone he knew?”</p>
<p>“His wife. The whole family story is a bit of a fairytale, Claire. Some mumbo jumbo about how Hank heard a voice in the mine. He found a lovely woman, but she wasn’t human. Something he called an Earth-Kin. Anyway, these Earth-Kins were in the ground and they didn’t like the miners digging around their homes. Hank struck some deal with them and married the one to show good faith. He couldn’t say her name properly, so ended up calling her Claire. Down the line, the Hatfields became the Ursines.”</p>
<p>“That’s a strange leap in names.”</p>
<p>My father grinned. “It was to escape some tax collector or something.”</p>
<p>I sat there, digesting what he said. It was possible I had some non-human DNA in me. Whatever this Earth-Kin was, maybe it made me have the ability to be a Mother of the Line? Which made my many times great-grandfather a Father of the Line.</p>
<p>“What is an Earth-Kin?”</p>
<p>Father grunted and started to settle back in bed. His lucid mind was fading already. I wasn’t sure when, but his depression had somehow become a memory issue and I knew he wasn’t going to last much longer. </p>
<p>“Earth-Kin are a legend, Claire. They grow from the rocks and earth. Everything about them is of the earth. They used to help the miners in Twinbrook until the Great Cave-In.” He closed his eyes. “We buried them, Claire. My grandfather was the one who lit the fuse. He’d tell me stories of how he heard them yelling as the mine blew up and Twinbrook was cursed.”</p>
<p>I watched him sleep, shifting through my memories of the stories I heard in Twinbrook. Oh, the normal scary tales of the Loup Garou and the Gruagach, the dangers of Will-O’-Wisps and Bog Monsters, all designed to keep kids in line. Any story about these Earth-Kin were well buried. The only stories of the mines I could remember were to beware of the Knockers, spirits of dead miners. Though old miners said they were friendly, no one was to enter the mines and disturb them. I could remember my grandmother leaving little cakes at the mine’s entrance for the Knockers, though Mother told me to never go there after Grandmother died.</p>
<p>That night, after I put Boggs to sleep and checked on Father, I took out my phone. I could call Mortimer, who sometimes texted me while he was away. I could call Jared or Connor, both of whom agreed I should understand my future role in their pack. Instead, I called Casper. I hadn’t talked to him since prom, not sure what to say since my mother had sacked his sister.</p>
<p>“What a sweet surprise, Claire,” Casper said as soon as he answered the phone. “I was afraid I’d never hear from you again.”</p>
<p>“I, um, I wasn’t sure what to say. I mean, Mother fired your sister. I wasn’t sure if that changed us.”</p>
<p>“Your mother…Oh! No, that won’t change a thing. Since both Bonehilda and I act as a maid or butler to you human families, we are used to being sent on our way once we’ve served our purpose. Being let go won’t ever change a thing between us, my dear. How have you been?”</p>
<p>I told him about taking care of my father, of my mother abandoning us, and that I was still in contact with Jared and Connor.</p>
<p>“What about your vampire, Claire? I noticed you haven’t mentioned him.”</p>
<p>“I text Mort on occasions. He’s busy, so I don’t want to interrupt him too much. He knows I’m talking to Jared and Connor, there are no secrets between us.”</p>
<p>“I wouldn’t have it any other way, my dear. What else is going on in your world? I can almost hear the question you want to ask.”</p>
<p>I took a deep breath. “What are Earth-Kin?”</p>
<p>There was silence for a moment. “Now, that is a term I haven’t heard in a long time. Yes, being from Twinbrook you would have heard of them,” he said softly. “They are part of the fey, my dear. While most associate fairies with flowers or air, the Earth-Kin are more rock and minerals. Many of the mines around SimNation were once homes to them, but for some reason or another, the sims of those areas terminated their peaceful contract with the Earth-Kin and abandoned the mines. I’m sure their communities still flourish, just underground.”</p>
<p>“My father said something that…He mentioned our ancestor might have married one.”</p>
<p>“Again, you’re from Twinbrook. Let me think about the history of that place.” He hummed as he thought before saying, “What was your ancestor’s name?”</p>
<p>“I think Father said it was Hank Hatfield.”</p>
<p>“That makes sense. Ah, yes, Twinbrook, Simisouri. It was not always swamps and bayous, Claire. Once, it held the promise of being a rich and prosperous town. It was the pet project of Levi Wolfmoon. At the start, it was nothing more than a mine and a few buildings, and a lot of tents where the miners slept.”</p>
<p>“Levi Wolfmoon?”</p>
<p>“He may or may not be the brother of Euphenia Wolfmoon. I understand you’ve met her. Now, there was some dispute with the Earth-Kin at that time. I don’t recall much about it, but I do think I remember hearing one of them did mate with a human.”</p>
<p>“That would be my ancestor. Apparently, I’m named after the Earth-Kin.”</p>
<p>Casper chuckled. “Claire is not an Earth-Kin name. I’m afraid it must have been severely misspoken. So, after this union, the town of Twinbrook started to thrive. Due to being mated with an Earth-Kin, the brave human who actually forged peace was not allowed to be the first mayor. I don’t know why Levi didn’t step in. He just let things happen. The first mayor was some bloke named Twinbrook, thus the town name. And flourish it did. Railroads were built and the town grew.”</p>
<p>“Until the mines collapsed, right?”</p>
<p>“Oh, misfortune came long before that. There was a horrible storm that blew through, a hurricane. Must have been sometime between your ancestor’s arrival and the mines collapsing. The bayou flooded and became a beast of its own. Now, some say it was from two adventurers in Twinbrook, one Timmy DeBleu and Tina-Patricia Copper. They traveled to Al Simhara. Timmy was a musician and Tina-Patricia was a sculptor, so what they were doing on an archaeological dig in Al Simhara is anyone’s guess. According to rumor, they found a cursed tomb and brought that curse back with them. Both died before the hurricane swept through, and any stolen artifacts have been lost ever since. Indeed, if they brought anything back with them. I suppose I could always take a trip to our local cemetery and ask Alexa Burt. She was part of that expedition and died soon after coming home to Moonlight Falls.”</p>
<p>“I think I’m getting it now. After the hurricane, and the flood, things started to fade in Twinbrook?”</p>
<p>“Yes, I believe so. The mines started to dry up, the Earth-Kin started going back into hiding, and other, less savory monsters started to roam the swamps. Your Loup Garou came around that point in time, along with a host of others.”</p>
<p>I shivered, thinking back to watching the swamp at night, on the lookout for monsters. “Yeah, we have stories of what lives in the swamp.”</p>
<p>“I imagine you do, my dear.”</p>
<p>I spoke to Casper for a while longer before saying my good-bye. It was late and I knew I would have to get up early to make sure Boggs went to school. I made a promise to keep more in contact with Casper after that.</p>
<p>About six months after my talk with Casper, and a year after Jared and Connor returned, I was nearing the end of my Master Thief career. To move along with my Uber Sim status and to get ahead, I was in the gym working out. Thanks to the hours of exercise, I was slim. I had to keep up with it, knowing that I could gain the weight back easily.</p>
<p>As I was finishing a run on the treadmill, I heard, “Aren’t you a sight for sore eyes, Claire.”</p>
<p>I turned to see Mortimer standing behind me. He was as handsome as ever. His hair had grown out, curling around his shoulders. He wore a dark turtleneck under a black coat, black slacks, and black shoes. It made his pale skin and now-bright eyes stand out.</p>
<p>“I’d hug you, but I’m all sweaty from running,” I said. “I didn’t know you were coming back today.”</p>
<p>“I wanted it to be a surprise. I missed you, Claire. A few texts really can’t take the place of actually seeing you.”</p>
<p>I practically ran to the showers, promising him I’d be back soon. I washed off and changed, feeling so much like a starstruck teen all over again. Mortimer took me out to dinner and told me all about what he’d been up to for the past two years. I told him about my discovery of my family’s past and that I was still in contact with the Frio brothers and Casper. I told him my father was getting worse and that I had to think of Boggs’ future.</p>
<p>“What career are you going for after this one,” Mort asked.</p>
<p>“I want to do the science career. If I can master that, I can make two potions on the chemistry set; one to freeze my age and one to de-age me to a young adult.”</p>
<p>“Basically, immortality. Or,” Mort said, “you can let me turn you. We can do this together, Claire. You don’t have to be a Mother of the Line to every Supernatural out there.” He reached across the table, taking my hand. “You can stay with me and we’ll raise a family and you can become an Uber Sim.”</p>
<p>“I need to do this my way,” I said. “I will keep your offer in mind, Mort. But right now, I feel like a lot is expected of me. I don’t want to add more responsibilities.”</p>
<p>“I get that, Claire. I can wait.”</p>
<p>I sighed. “Connor and Jared and Casper all say the same thing.”</p>
<p>Mort smiled. “You’re worth the wait, Claire.”</p>
<p>I wanted to believe him, but I was worried that this attention was only due to my DNA. Did Mort or Jared or Casper truly care about me or did they only care that I was able to give them children? There was no way to ask this, for I knew what they’d say if I did. </p>
<p>And that might not be the truth.</p>
<p>Mort started coming to my house a lot. The first time he and Connor were there at the same time, I felt my stomach drop. They did not fight. Mort and Connor held respect for each other and talked about Clan business at my dinner table. Boggs, who did not understand what they were talking about, sat between them and offered his innocent views. </p>
<p>“Are you dating them both, Claire Bear,” Boggs asked me one night.</p>
<p>“Sort of. It’s complicated, Swamp Bog. Most things with adults are.”</p>
<p>He accepted that. It was not something I wanted to explain to my little brother. Boggs seemed to like both Mort and Connor, and would draw pictures of our family where both were my husbands. After a talk with his teachers that nothing was happening in front of my “impressionable” brother, he stopped making such drawings at school.</p>
<p>A month or so after my talk with Boggs’ teacher, Mort came over to help around the house. The washing machine was on the fritz and he offered to fix it. Boggs was out with some friends and Father was asleep. We talked while he worked on the washing machine, and I found myself fixated on his body.</p>
<p>“All done.” He sat up and saw me. It was like something passed between us and he was on his feet in no time, pulling me to him in a kiss. He took my breath away and I felt so ready.</p>
<p>By the time Boggs returned, Mort and I were relaxing on my bed, wrapped up in the sheets. Hearing my brother downstairs, I scrambled to get dressed. Mortimer stayed for dinner, and I almost asked him to stay the night.</p>
<p>About a month later, I noticed changes. Connor and Jared refused to visit, though Connor said it wasn’t anything that Mortimer said.</p>
<p>“Claire, it’s just not safe for us to be around you right now,” Connor said. “When it is safe, we’ll visit.”</p>
<p>“When will it be safe?”</p>
<p>“Oh, in about nine months.”</p>
<p>There were other things that caught my attention. I got nauseous a lot, but didn’t throw up, my breasts were swelling and sore, I didn’t like my favorite foods anymore, smells were bothering me, and I felt tired all the time. When I added that to what happened between Mort and I, I decided to get to the bottom of this. I went to the grocery store and got myself a pregnancy test.</p>
<p>It was positive.</p>
<p>Once I knew, I went to see Mortimer. I’ve never seen anyone look as happy as he did when he found out he’d be a father.</p>
<p>“I promise you, Claire, I will be the best father to our child. He or she won’t ever want for anything.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter Four</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Tragedy strikes Claire Ursine, the first of many in her long and extraordinary life.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Chapter Four</p>
<p>The months before my son was born flew by. I was so busy taking care of my father that I didn’t really take care of myself. I was very fortunate that Beau Ursine was born a healthy and happy baby. He was the only bright spot in my life for the trauma to come.</p>
<p>The first was Mortimer. He was there for me during my pregnancy, but after Beau was born things changed. Not all of it was Mort’s fault, but I always felt he could have fought it more.</p>
<p>“You can’t just leave! What about Beau?” I was so angry when Mortimer came to tell me he was traveling to Champs Les Sims. “You promised to be here for your son!”</p>
<p>“I know! It’s not my choice, Claire. My father is packing me off with Bella. We’re going to stay with a host family, the Girard family. I am expected to not return single.”</p>
<p>“What about me? I thought…I mean, because of…” I couldn’t get the words out. For a moment, they sounded so hollow and fake in my ears. I thought because I was a Mother of the Line, because I birthed his son, I meant something.</p>
<p>“Claire, I love you. I really do. But with vampires, with many of those in the Supernatural community, it’s not our wants and desires that rule us. I don’t know what happened. I’m ecstatic to be Beau’s father and I will be here for him. Something changed how my father feels about you and he’s determined that I marry Bella or some other Mother of the Line.”</p>
<p>“What could possibly have changed his mind?”</p>
<p>“I wish I knew. He was talking to Euphenia Wolfmoon, who has a high opinion of you, and suddenly he was in a rage that I never speak to you again. He and Mother think you’re out to destroy me.”</p>
<p>I brushed away the tears that threatened to fall. “What happens to us?”</p>
<p>He shrugged. “I don’t know. I mean, I have to take a wife, but there is no reason to turn her. A mortal’s life is short, Claire. I will wait for you.”</p>
<p>I refused to speak to him after that and wasn’t there when he left for Champs Les Sims. He texted me, but I did not text back. Maybe it was for the best if we just went our separate ways now?</p>
<p>Only two months after Mortimer left, my life changed drastically. It started one morning when I went to give my father his breakfast. I found him cold and unresponsive in bed. Panic shot through me when I heard Boggs walking around, worried that he’d come into Father’s room and find him like this.</p>
<p>I called for an ambulance, keeping my voice low as I explained the situation. I knew my father had passed on, but I didn’t want my brother to know. Please, I begged, pretend he’s still alive while you take him out of the house.</p>
<p>After I placed the call, I went to Boggs. “Hey, Swamp Bog,” I said, “Father isn’t feeling well. I’ve called an ambulance for him, okay buddy. When they come, we’re going to follow them to the hospital.”</p>
<p>“Is he going to be okay?”</p>
<p>“I don’t know, buddy.”</p>
<p>The ambulance came and took my father away. I placed Boggs and Beau in my beat-up old car and drove to the hospital. When we got to the hospital, there was a doctor waiting for us. </p>
<p>“Ms. Ursine? If you will follow me, please?” He took us to a small, private office and asked us to sit. “I have some bad news for you. Your father…He didn’t make it. He passed on the way to the hospital.”</p>
<p>Boggs froze next me before jumping out of his seat. “You’re lying! My dad’s not dead! He’s going to be fine! Tell him, Claire! He’s lying!”</p>
<p>“Boggs,” I said softly, but that was enough. He gave me look that was both heartbreaking and full of anger before he ran out of the room. I got up to follow and was thankful he hadn’t gotten very far.</p>
<p>“Hey, buddy? Where’s the fire?” Boggs had ran into a man wearing scrubs. I was surprised to see him, to see Jared. My brother wrapped his arms around Jared’s waist and cried. Jared hugged him and looked up at me. “I just got in to do some volunteer work. What’s going on, Claire?”</p>
<p>“Father, um, passed away,” I said.</p>
<p>Jared hugged Boggs harder. “I’m so sorry.”</p>
<p>Jared really stepped up after that. He helped take care of Boggs while I spent the next few days on the phone calling my family and making funeral plans. Dagbert told me he would swing by Bridgeport to talk to mother as I was having no luck contacting her. I knew Father’s will stated that Betty Jean was the executor of his estate, and we’d need Mother. </p>
<p>Dagbert did not come with Mother, but he did bring a signed and notarized Power of Attorney, granting him to make any and all decisions in Mother’s place. </p>
<p>“She really didn’t care that Dad died,” he told me. “In fact, I think she’s really happy. She’s going to change her name and get on with her life now that she’s officially single again. Don’t expect to ever hear from her again.”</p>
<p>“I never expected to hear from her in the first place.”</p>
<p>We had Father cremated and took the remains to Twinbrook. I called Casper to tell him about my father’s passing before I left.</p>
<p>“I wish I could come out to be there for you in your time of sorrow, my dear,” Casper said, “but skeletons are not a welcomed sight at funerals outside of towns like Moonlight Falls and Midnight Hollow. If I were to go to Twinbrook, I would cause a riot.”</p>
<p>“I understand. I just thought you should know.”</p>
<p>When we made it to the funeral parlor to set up for the memorial, three large bouquets were waiting under my father’s name. One from Casper and Bonehilda, one from Jared and Connor, and one from Mortimer. I was very surprised to see the one from Mort, and turned to talk to Jared, who came with us in support.</p>
<p>“Connor called him,” Jared said. “We didn’t know if you would, but he deserves to know this.”</p>
<p>“Oh. Well, I don’t mind that he knows. I guess I hadn’t thought about it.” I fidgeted, not sure how I felt about it. “I’ll call Mort later.”</p>
<p>The funeral was a short affair. There were the few surviving members of the Ursine and Hicks families along with Connor and Jared Frio in attendance. My Uncle Hubert was there. After the funeral, Dagbert and I sat down to discuss what would happen next.</p>
<p>“What do you think we should do,” Dagbert asked.</p>
<p>“I was thinking about selling the house and having an estate sale,” I said. “The home is too big for me and Boggs to live in. We can find a smaller house in Sunset Valley so Boggs can finish school.”</p>
<p>“Uh, it’s just you and your kid at the house. Boggs is going to live with me. We’ve discussed this and he wants to be out of that house as soon as possible. He’s also a bit hurt with how you handled Dad’s death.”</p>
<p>That stung me. “Oh. I didn’t know Boggs was leaving. Well, even more reason to move out. Anyway, I want the money all split three ways, and Boggs’ will go in a trust fund. He can get it for college or to start his own life when he comes of age.”</p>
<p>“Yeah, sure, sounds reasonable.” Dagbert shrugged. “I’ll have a representative oversee things since I need to get back home with Boggs.”</p>
<p>“So soon? I mean, come back to Sunset Valley for a bit. Boggs still needs to pack his things.”</p>
<p>Dagbert shook his head. “I gave my old spare key to my representative. He’s packed up Boggs’ room and had it moved. If we find anything of Boggs’ when we go through for the estate sale, I’ll have you just send them to my representative.”</p>
<p>“Why not you? And why this representative stuff? It’s almost like you don’t want me to know where you are.”</p>
<p>“You’re associated with some very shady people, Claire. Of course, I need to protect myself and my brother. My representative, Wogan Hemlock, will handle all my affairs. You should have no problems with him. He’s a vampire, after all, and you get along great with that kind.”</p>
<p>True to his word, when Dagbert left Twinbrook, he took Boggs with him. A dark-haired young man with eyeliner and trendy clothes showed up at my door a few days later to start the estate sale. </p>
<p>“So, you’re Dagbert’s sister? I expected better,” he sniffed. I disliked him immediately.</p>
<p>We packed up the house and sold everything. I kept careful notes on all the money coming in and divided it three ways. Anything that was leftover was put in Boggs’ trust fund. Wogan bitched about that, saying that the money belonged to Dagbert.</p>
<p>“Dagbert is the executor of this property. The extra money should go to him.”</p>
<p>“Dagbert and I are adults and working. Boggs is a kid. His trust fund is going to help him get a jump on life. I’m not changing it.”</p>
<p>While I was trying to sell my family home, I realized I would need to find a new home. I contacted Robbie Bland, from the Sunset Valley Real Estate office. He went looking for someplace in Sunset Valley that would fill my needs. </p>
<p>It was Jared who found me my new home. He came over as the last of the furniture was being taken out, a huge smile on his face.</p>
<p>“So, I have the perfect place for you,” he said and picked up Beau. While holding my son, he continued. “The house across the street from mine, at 5 Sun Song Avenue.”</p>
<p>“Doesn’t someone live there right now?”</p>
<p>“Not for long. The old lady who is living there is getting moved out to Isla Paradiso by her kids. They have a retirement resort out there and said their mom will be happy by the beach. As such, the house is going up for sale soon and I think it’s perfect for you. It’s a two-bedroom.”</p>
<p>I called Robbie right away and ended up signing for the house that night. With the money I made from my portion of the sale on my family’s home, I was able to pay everything off on the spot and put money away for Beau’s college.</p>
<p>In another week, I was moving in my new home. Some of the furniture was left from when Ms. Manzano moved out, and some I had to buy. She wished me luck, saying she hoped I was as happy in the home as she had been.</p>
<p>Looking at my new home, I knew I would be.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>This one was a bit hard to write. I pulled from a few real-life situations in my life for it. The whole meeting in a small room in the hospital and asking for leniency with the time of death are from things that happened in my family.</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hello and thank you for reading my story! I first started playing The Sims 3 in December of 2010. I remember this because the Sims was what helped me through a really rough time. After a while, I started to play only one character: Claire Ursine. I think it's because she reminded me a little of myself. So, this is a story I came up with about her. All the names in this, beyond the names of Claire's family, Von Bone family, and the Wolfmoon family, are from The Sims (1-3). I didn't go for the whole actual timeline and Bella Goth mystery, so there will be an overlap in names if one looks into them.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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